Patricia Urquiola Knows How to Find the ‘Fundamental Element’ of Design

Born in Oviedo, Spain, in 1961, Patricia Urquiola graduated from architecture and design at the Politecnico di Milano under the mentorship of Achille Castiglioni. Between 1990 and 2001, Urquiola worked at studio De Padova in Milan and then at Lissoni Associati, eventually becoming the Head of Design at both studios. Collaborating and designing for companies such as Cassina, Kettal, Moroso, CC Tapis, Alessi, Louis Vuitton and Kvadrat, her design portfolio culminated in the creation of her Milan-based industrial design practice, Studio Urquiola, in 2001. 

Co-founded with her partner Alberto Zontone, Studio Urquiola’s highly experimental practice combines patterns, styles and materials to create practical design objects. With empathy and sensitivity, they prioritise the connection between designers and users.

In March, Urquiola was invited as the guest speaker for Design Circus 2024. Along with her speaker engagements, Uriquola displayed furniture pieces co-designed by Cassina, CC-tapis, Moroso and Kettal in Mobilia’s Melbourne and Perth showrooms.

Since its inception, Design Circus has elevated international and local design to a highly interactive platform. Now celebrating 10 years, Design Circus first made its Australian debut in 2014 when it invited CuldeSac founder and creative director Pepe Garcia to showcase work by Spanish designers Fambuena, Yonoh Studio, Apparatu and Urquiola. Over the years, the program has hosted a variety of international designers, design talks and exhibitions. Mobilia’s Founding Director, Sam Fazzari, expresses the importance of Design Circus as “an important cultural layer.” This year, these “layers” were elevated with Urqiuola’s inclusion, which marked a “new wave of contemporary future icons.” 

For Urquiola, Australia is a “country that [she] feels a lot of energy from. "The rich energy and vast landscapes of Australia, with its big cities, big trees and big deserts,” are a constant source of inspiration for the industrial designer. Urquiola's engagement with Australia's industrial design sectors highlights her talent for sparking transformative dialogues within local design markets. This has led to the adoption of impactful practices, notably her 'fundamental element' approach.

“The element is always the soul of the project; there are no compromises. And it has to drive everything," Urquiola told us when asked to define the ‘fundamental element’. Drawing inspiration from her mentor Achille Castiglioni, the element "is the compass; you cannot lose that one. You can have little compromises on anything else, but that one fundamental element has to drive your project”, she explains.

Expanding on the 'element', Urquiola discussed her work for the Spanish-based industrial design company Kettal, which manufactures high-end, luxury outdoor furniture. “There are so many possibilities to produce in different ways. There are so many ways to create design,” she explains. This design ethos contrasts her work with the Italian furniture company Cassina, where they explored “working with the foundation, looking at new technology and at the same time, keeping an artisan heart.”

Urquiola’s Moncloud sofa for Cassina has a similarly precise and circular design that represents the intersection between artisan techniques and new technologies. From its robust metal frame to its use of quilted recycled PET fibres, the sofa encapsulates Urquiola’s commitment to sustainability. By engaging with sustainable design principles in this way, Urquiola seeks to reduce waste and increase the product's longevity.

Urquiola's participation in Mobilia's Design Circus 2024 underscored the value of these platforms in fostering a sustainable and forward-thinking design culture. It highlighted how influential designers like her can inspire change and drive the evolution of design practices globally.

Experience Patricia Urquiola's designs at Mobilia